# Poisoning Attacks and Defenses on Artificial Intelligence: A Survey

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2202.10276 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2202.10276/

## Key facts

- Cited by 16 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Backdoor and data poisoning attacks, one of 12 directions in LLM safety and security.
- Builds on 54 of its 105 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 21 Feb 2022.

## Placed in

- LLM safety and security / [Backdoor and data poisoning attacks](https://mlsanity.com/safety/backdoor-and-data-poisoning-attacks/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 30 of 54)

- [Membership Inference Attacks against Machine Learning Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1610.05820/) (2016)
- [Improved Training of Wasserstein GANs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1704.00028/) (2017)
- [Conditional Generative Adversarial Nets](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1411.1784/) (2014)
- [BadNets: Identifying Vulnerabilities in the Machine Learning Model Supply Chain](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1708.06733/) (2017)
- [Targeted Backdoor Attacks on Deep Learning Systems Using Data Poisoning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1712.05526/) (2017)
- [The Limitations of Deep Learning in Adversarial Settings](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1511.07528/) (2015)
- [Universal adversarial perturbations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1610.08401/) (2016)
- [Evasion Attacks against Machine Learning at Test Time](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1708.06131/) (2017)
- [Stealing Machine Learning Models via Prediction APIs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1609.02943/) (2016)
- [One pixel attack for fooling deep neural networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1710.08864/) (2017)
- [Adversarial Examples Are Not Easily Detected: Bypassing Ten Detection Methods](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1705.07263/) (2017)
- [Exploiting Unintended Feature Leakage in Collaborative Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1805.04049/) (2018)
- [Poison Frogs! Targeted Clean-Label Poisoning Attacks on Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1804.00792/) (2018)
- [ML-Leaks: Model and Data Independent Membership Inference Attacks and Defenses on Machine Learning Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1806.01246/) (2018)
- [Wild Patterns: Ten Years After the Rise of Adversarial Machine Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1712.03141/) (2017)
- [Hidden Trigger Backdoor Attacks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1910.00033/) (2019)
- [Analyzing Federated Learning through an Adversarial Lens](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1811.12470/) (2018)
- [Deep Models Under the GAN: Information Leakage from Collaborative Deep Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1702.07464/) (2017)
- [The Hidden Vulnerability of Distributed Learning in Byzantium](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1802.07927/) (2018)
- [Certified Defenses for Data Poisoning Attacks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.03691/) (2017)
- [Characterizing Adversarial Subspaces Using Local Intrinsic Dimensionality](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1801.02613/) (2018)
- [MagNet: a Two-Pronged Defense against Adversarial Examples](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1705.09064/) (2017)
- [Manipulating Machine Learning: Poisoning Attacks and Countermeasures for Regression Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1804.00308/) (2018)
- [Towards Poisoning of Deep Learning Algorithms with Back-gradient Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1708.08689/) (2017)
- [PRADA: Protecting against DNN Model Stealing Attacks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1805.02628/) (2018)
- [Stronger Data Poisoning Attacks Break Data Sanitization Defenses](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1811.00741/) (2018)
- [Sever: A Robust Meta-Algorithm for Stochastic Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1803.02815/) (2018)
- [Stealing Hyperparameters in Machine Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1802.05351/) (2018)
- [Robust Anomaly Detection and Backdoor Attack Detection Via Differential Privacy](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1911.07116/) (2019)
- [Understanding Membership Inferences on Well-Generalized Learning Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1802.04889/) (2018)

## Built on by (most cited first, 16 of 16)

- [textitAgents Under Siege: Breaking Pragmatic Multi-Agent LLM Systems with Optimized Prompt Attacks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.00218/) (2025)
- [Data Poisoning in Deep Learning: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.22759/) (2025)
- [Unlearnable Examples Give a False Sense of Security: Piercing through Unexploitable Data with Learnable Examples](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.09241/) (2023)
- [Poser: Unmasking Alignment Faking LLMs by Manipulating Their Internals](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.05466/) (2024)
- [Beyond Boundaries: A Comprehensive Survey of Transferable Attacks on AI Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.11796/) (2023)
- [Deep Learning Model Security: Threats and Defenses](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.08969/) (2024)
- [A Red Teaming Framework for Securing AI in Maritime Autonomous Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.11500/) (2023)
- [New data poison attacks on machine learning classifiers for mobile exfiltration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.11592/) (2022)
- [SyntheticPop: Attacking Speaker Verification Systems With Synthetic VoicePops](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.09553/) (2025)
- [Hiding Backdoors within Event Sequence Data via Poisoning Attacks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.10201/) (2023)
- [Deep Privacy Funnel Model: From a Discriminative to a Generative Approach with an Application to Face Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.02696/) (2024)
- [GreenMachine: Automatic Design of Zero-Cost Proxies for Energy-Efficient NAS](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.15290/) (2024)
- [GreenFactory: Ensembling Zero-Cost Proxies to Estimate Performance of Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.09344/) (2025)
- [AI Security in the Foundation Model Era: A Comprehensive Survey from a Unified Perspective](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.24857/) (2026)
- [Mole Recruitment: Poisoning of Image Classifiers via Selective Batch Sampling](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.17080/) (2023)
- [The Role of Rigor in Artificial Intelligence](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.03634/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Machine learning models have been widely adopted in several fields. However, most recent studies have shown several vulnerabilities from attacks with a potential to jeopardize the integrity of the model, presenting a new window of research opportunity in terms of cyber-security. This survey is conducted with a main intention of highlighting the most relevant information related to security vulnerabilities in the context of machine learning (ML) classifiers; more specifically, directed towards training procedures against data poisoning attacks, representing a type of attack that consists of tampering the data samples fed to the model during the training phase, leading to a degradation in the models accuracy during the inference phase. This work compiles the most relevant insights and findings found in the latest existing literatures addressing this type of attacks. Moreover, this paper also covers several defense techniques that promise feasible detection and mitigation mechanisms, capable of conferring a certain level of robustness to a target model against an attacker. A thorough assessment is performed on the reviewed works, comparing the effects of data poisoning on a wide range of ML models in real-world conditions, performing quantitative and qualitative analyses. This paper analyzes the main characteristics for each approach including performance success metrics, required hyperparameters, and deployment complexity. Moreover, this paper emphasizes the underlying assumptions and limitations considered by both attackers and defenders along with their intrinsic properties such as: availability, reliability, privacy, accountability, interpretability, etc. Finally, this paper concludes by making references of some of main existing research trends that provide pathways towards future research directions in the field of cyber-security.